Laundry tub installation



Jan. 23, 1968 a. E. MLJSTEE 3,364,503

LAUNDRY TUB I NS TALLAT I ON Filed Oct. 21, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEINTOR,

BERNARD EMUSTEE a. E. MUSTEE 3,364,503

LAUNDRY TUB INS TALLAT I ON Jan. 23, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 21, 1965 BERNAPD I i/I K JTS TEE 9m I I I0 I l '0 1' I I I0 I l 0 I '0 II I) it United States Patent 3,364,503 LAUNDRY TUB INSTALLATION Bernard E. Mustee, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to E. L. Mustee & Sons, Inc. Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,274 Claims. (Cl. 4-470) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hanger for supporting a tub on a wall including an upper portion which is secured to the wall and coacts with the tub to provide support therefor, and a lower portion which is engageable between the back of the tub and wall to prevent rocking movement of the tub and to prevent it from being swung away from the hanger.

This invention relates generally to laundry tubs, and more specifically to wall-hung laundry tubs and a new hanger for installing such tubs.

Conventional wall-hung lundry tub installations have several disadvantages and objectionable features. One such installation consists of a cantilever wall hanger which is used to support a single tub. The wall hanger consists of a mounting plate or bracket which is secured to the wall, a bottom channel having openings for the plumbing connections, and side fillers or plates which are fastened between the ends of the mounting bracket and the bottom channel. In use it is first necessary to assemble the several pieces of the hanger and then to anchor the assembled hanger as a unit to the wall. Thereafter, the tub is positioned on the hanger and fastener elements are inserted through the corners of the tub and the side fillers of the hanger in an attempt to secure the tub in place.

One objection to the foregoing conventional installation is the number of steps required to assemble the hanger. The several assembly steps are time-consuming and add to the cost of the installation. The assembly oper ation is further complicated when it is desired to connect service pipes or hoses, such as the hoses of a suds-saving or water distribution system, in the area between the wall bracket and the bottom channel of the hanger. In such an instance, it is necessary to loosen the fastener elements between the bottom channel and the side fillers after the hanger has been anchored to the wall so that the bottom channel can be dropped down. The side connections of the service pipes through the hanger to the faucet plumbing must be then made from beneath the hanger through the limited access opening provided by loosening of the bottom channel. It will be appreciated that such connections are difiicult to accomplish. Another installation problem has been encountered when mounting a tub on a rough, uneven masonry wall or the like. As generally described above, the prior art hanger is anchored to the wall as an assembled unit and a tub is set on the hanger and held by screws or other fasteners which pass through holes in the corners of the tub and in the side fillers of the hanger. When the wall is rough or uneven, it has been difficult to engage the rear flange of the tub over the mounting bracket so that the fastener holes in the tub and the hanger are in alignment.

Most of the hanger constructions of the prior art also do not provide a strong, stable mounting for the suspended tub. With the usual construction, there is considerable side sway of the tub and it is possible to raise the bottom edge of the tub away from the wall.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a wall-hung laundry tub assembly which can be quickly and easily installed.

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Another object of the invention is to provide a new wall hanger which is adapted firmly and securely to mount a laundry tub or the like on a wall in such a manner as to support its weight and prevent undesirable tub movement.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new wall hanger on which a laundry tub can be mounted in a simple and facile manner even though the wall may have a rough and uneven surface.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new hanger for a wall-mounted laundry tub which facilitates the side connection of service pipes, such as the drain water and suds water hose of a water distribution system to the hoses of an associated automatic washer.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new hanger as described above which is of a simple and inexpensive construction and which permits an improved, quick installation of a laundry tub with a minimum number of assembly steps.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new wall hanger construction which can be used to mount a plurality of laundry tubs on a wall.

In general, the disadvantages of prior art wall-hung tub installations are overcome and the objects of the invention are attained by a novel construction comprising a wall plate which can be anchored to a wall in any known, suitable manner. The new construction further includes a support assembly of two side members and a bottom channel which is attached to the back of the tub. In the preferred embodiment, the bottom channel includes hooks which engage a bottom portion of the tub.

The support assembly may be fastened to the tub before it is set on the wall plate. As will hereinafter be made more apparent, this method of assembly facilitates the side connection of service pipes without the difiiculties inherent with conventional hangers. The tub and the support assembly can be secured on the wall plate by a single fastener element so that the tub can be installed quickly and easily. At the same time, the new hanger provides a strong, stable support which prevents tub movement.

The invention also contemplates a new hanger construction which has all of the features described above and which can be used to mount two or more tubs. The multiple tub hanger includes a plurality of wall plates secured together by bridging members to provide a strong unitary assembly.

Other objects, advantages and a fuller understanding of the invention will be had by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded, perspective view of the preferred hanger construction which comprises one aspect of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a laundry tub mounted on a wall by means of the new hanger;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 5 is a front elevational view of the new multiple tub hanger assembly; and,

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

Referring now to the drawings, and to FIGS. 14 in particular, there is shown a fragmentary portion of a laundry tub 10 which is mounted on a wall in accordance with the present invention. As shown, the tub 10 is a molded construction including a bottom wall 11, a rear wall 12, and side walls 13 (only one of which is shown). The rear wall 12 projects downwardly beyond the integrally joined edge of the bottom wall 11 to form a lip or flange 14. At the top of the tub, there is a rearwardly extending drain ledge 15. The ledge terminates at a vertical flange 16 which is adapted to engage against the wall 17 when the tub is installed. The illustrated construction of the tub 10 also includes side flanges 18 (only one of which is shown) which extend downwardly from the ends of the ledge 15.

The new hanger for mounting the tub 10 is generally designated by reference numeral 25. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hanger is comprised of a metal wall plate 26 which is adapted to be secured to the wall 17 and a support assembly bracket 27 which is connected to the back of the tub.

The wall plate 26 may be anchored to the wall 17 by lag bolts 28 or the like. Two rows of longitudinally spaced bolt holes 29 are formed through the plate 26. The purpose of providing a plurality of bolt holes 29 is to assure that the lag bolts 28 can be inserted through a selected number of holes into studs of a wood wall frame construction or into selected areas of a masonry wall, thereby firmly anchoring the plate in position. In order to facilitate connection of a plurality of the plates 26 as described below in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6, the metal around the holes 29a at the end of each row is punched outwardly to form recesses or counterbores on the back of the plate.

An integral flange 30 is formed along the upper edge of the plate 26. The flange 30 is bent out of the plane of the main portion of the plate so that the tub flange 16 can be engaged between the flange 30 and the Wall 17 when the tub is installed. If desired, the plate 26 also may be formed with a flange 31 along its lower edge. The flange 31 is bent at right angles to the plate 26 and strengthens the plate so that it will not bend under the weight of the supported tub assembly.

The plate 26 also includes a tab 32 which is located intermediate the ends of the plate. In the illustrated construction, the tab 32 is a separately formed element in cluding a horizontal leg 33 near the upper edge of the flange 30, a vertical leg 34 which is held against the surface of the plate 26, and an intermediate connecting portion 35 which conforms to the forwardly bent flange 30. The tab 32 is secured to the plate 26 by arms 36 which are punched out of the plate and crimped around the tab leg 34. Preferably, the arms 36 are fitted into notches 37 which are cut in the sides of the leg 34 in order to prevent vertical movement of the tab under the weight of the tub 10.

In the preferred embodiment of the hanger 25, the support bracket 27 is an assembly comprising a bottom panel 40 and side portions or panels 41. The bottom edges of the side panels 41 are formed with inwardly bent flanges 42 which underlie the ends of the panel 40 and are secured thereto by fasteners 43 (FIG. 2). This preferred construction of the bracket 27 permits the bracket to be broken down for shipment and assembled for installation in a quick, eflicient manner. Alternatively, the bottom panel 40 and the side panels 41 can be constructed as a single integral member.

As shown, each of the side panels 41 is formed with an integral inwardly bent right angle flange 44 along the vertical rear edge of the panel and with an inwardly and rearwardly abent flange 45 along the front edge. The bottom panel 40 is similarly formed with a downwardly projecting rear flange 46 and an upwardly projecting front flange 47. The flanges 44, 46 strengthen the bracket 27 and provide flat bearing surfaces which are engageable with the wall 17. The front flanges 45, 47 also strengthen the bracekt and form bearing surfaces which provide a stable tub support.

A pair of longitudinal hooks 48 extend from the forward edge of the bottom panel 40. These hooks 48 are adapted to engage the lip 14 at the bottom of the tub 1t) so as to contribute to the tub support and to prevent the bottom of the tub from being pulled away from the hanger during use. The hooks 48 may be separate members which are secured to the bottom panel 40 or they may be formed integrally with the panel. The bottom panel 40 also includes holes 49 for the faucet plumbing (not shown).

When installing the tub and hanger assembly, the wall plate 26 is anchored on the Wall 17 by means of the lag bolts 28 which are inserted through selected holes 29. In a separate operation, the bracket 27 is assembled and connected to the tub 10. This is accomplished by engaging the hooks 48 under the lip 14 at the bottom of the tub and fastening the side panels 41 to the side flanges 18 of the tub. The panels 41 and the tub flanges 18 may be fastened together by bolts 55 and cooperating nuts 56 or by other suitable fastening means. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ends of the tub flanges 18 may be formed with vertically enlarged portions 58 which include vertical, inwardly projecting beads 59. These beads 59 serve to locate the bracket panels 41 in association with the sides of the tub so that the holes which receive the bolts 55 are in alignment.

The assembly of the tub 10 and the bracket 27 is mounted on the wall plate 26 by engaging the lower portion of the tub flange 16 behind the plate flange 30. A bolt 60 is inserted through a hole in the ledge 15 of the tub and through a hole 61 in the leg 33 of the tab 32. The bolt 69 is secured by a nut 62. Additional lag bolts 64- are inserted through the flange 46 of the bracket 27 into the wall 17.

Thus assembled, the hanger 25 of the present invention provides for a stronger and more stable mounting of the tub than could be obtained with hangers of the prior art. The center screw 60 which is inserted through the drain ledge 15 of the tub serves to force the flange 18 tightly into the V defined by the surface of the wall 17 and the angled flange 30 of the plate 26. The firm connection which results could not be obtained with the prior art hanger described above in which the tub Was connected to the hanger solely by side screws. The center screw 60 also prevents the tub from being laterally displaced or knocked from the wall plate 26. When the tub 10 is mounted as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 with the flange 16 firmly engaged behind the plate flange 30, the flanges 45 along the front edges of the side panels 41 and the flange 47 along the front edge of the panel 40 abut the back of the tub to provide a firm support which prevents rocking movement of the tub. At the same time, the flanges 40, 46 along the back of the bracket 27 engage the wall to prevent movement of the hanger. The lag bolts 64 which are inserted in the wall 17 through the bottom flange 46 of the bracket prevent the bottom of the bracket from being pulled away from the wall and thereby avoids damage to the service connections.

As previously mentioned, the hooks 44 which engage the lip 14 at the bottom of the tub contribute to its support and also prevent the tub from being pulled away from the hanger. The prior art arrangements in which the bottom of the hanger was not connected to the wall and in which the tub was connected to the hanger solely by side screws located near the top rear edge of the tub were not effective to prevent separation of the bottom of the tub from the hanger, as well as separation of the hanger from the wall. With such arrangements, it was possible to pull up on the tub and damage the trap which is usually constructed of light-weight tubing having suitable slip joints.

lt will be apparent from the foregoing that the tub and hanger can be installed quickly and easily. This is an important advantage, since one of the objections to prior art constructions has been the number of assembly steps which were required. With the present invention, the bracket 27 is connected to the tub by the simple provision of two screws 55 and nuts 56. Further, the bracket 27 can be conveniently fastened to the tub while it is resting on the floor. Thereafter, the tub can be lifted and placed on the plate 26 and the assembly secured together by the single fastener 60, 62.

The manner in which the hanger and tub are assembled overcomes the problems which have been encountered when mounting a tub on a rough, uneven masonry wall with prior art hangers. As previously described, one such prior art arrangement included a complete hanger which was first anchored on the wall and the tub was thereafter secured to the hanger by means including screws which were required to be inserted through holes in the hanger and through aligned holes in the side flanges of the tub. When the wall was rough or uneven, it was sometimes impossible to engage the rear flange of the tub behind the flange of the hanger so that the screw holes were in alignment. With the present invention, there is no problem of aligning side holes in the tub with holes in the hanger, since the hanger bracket and tub are pre-assembled before being mounted on the wall plate. Once the flange 16 of the tub is engaged behind the flange 30 of the plate, it is a simple matter to move the tub laterally to bring the screw hole in the ledge into alignment with the hole 61 of the tab 32.

The construction of the new and improved hanger also makes it convenient to install the plumbing. The faucets (not shown) are mounted on the ledge 15 and suitable connector pipes (also not shown) are attached to the faucets so as to extend downwardly beyond the lip 14 at the bottom of the tub. This assembly of the faucet plumbing can be accomplished easily and conveniently before mounting the tub on the hanger plate 26. After the tub has been suspended on the plate, the final connections for the drain and for the faucet connector pipes may be made.

The new and improved hanger has another advantage of facilitating connection of the hoses from a laundry water distribution system to the hoses of an automatic washer. A water distribution system is disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,092,845, issued June 11, 1963 to Bernard E. Mustee. The water distribution system described in that patent comprises a fixture which can be mounted on the tub ledge 15 and which includes a pair of passages, one for conducting suds water and one for conducting rinse Water. A hose is connected to the suds water passage which empties into the tub so that the initial wash water containing suds can be pumped from the washer into the tub and then returned to the washer at a later time for another Washing cycle. Another hose is connected to the rinse water passage so that the rinse water from the washer can be directed into the drain of the tub.

According to the preferred embodiment of this invention, one or both of the side panels 41 of the hanger bracket 27 are provided with a pair of knock-out sections which can be removed to form holes 65 in the side panel adjacent the location of the washer. A hose coupling bracket, such as is also disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,092,845, may be connected to the side panel from which the knock-out sections are removed and the ends of the rinse water and suds water hoses extended to that bracket and secured in position. The rinse water and suds saving hoses are provided with tubular hose couplings which are adapted to be connected to the hoses of the automatic washer externally of the hanger bracket 27. As in the case of the faucet plumbing, the assembly of the hose coupling bracket and the connection to that bracket of the rinse water and suds water conducting hoses can be accomplished easily and conveniently before mounting the tub 10 on the hanger plate 26.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown an arrangement suitable for mounting a plurality of tubs on a wall. The hanger for each such tub is similar to that described above in connection with FIGS. l-4 and comprises a wall plate 26 and a bracket assembly 27. The ends of adjacent wall plates 26 are spaced apart and are connected by a bridge 70. As shown most clearly in FIG. 6, the bridge 70 comprises a plate having a central portion 71 which is disposed between the ends of the adjacent wall plates 26 against the surface of the wall. The ends 72 of the bridge plate 70 are offset from the central portion 71 and overlie the ends of the wall plates 26. Preferably, the ends 72 of the bridge plate are formed with holes 73 and the metal around the holes is punched outwardly to conform with the holes 29a.

In assembling two or more wall plates 26, a bridge plate 70 is placed between each pair of the wall plates in the manner shown in FIG. 6. These plates are secured together by bolts 75 which are inserted from the rear surfaces of the wall plates so that the heads of the bolts reside in the recesses 76 formed by the holes 29a. Nuts 77 are then threaded on the bolts 75 to complete the plate assembly. This assembly of the wall plates can be secured to the wall as a single unit.

A bracket assembly 27 is fastened to each tub in substantially the same manner as that described above. In conecting the side panels 41 to the adjacent corners of the tubs 10, it is preferred to use relatively long bolts 55a which extend through both flanges 18 of the tubs. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, the assembly of the two ribs and supporting brackets 27 are connected by a common bolt 55a. The tub assembly is mounted on the wall plates 26 and is held in place by fasteners (not shown) which extend through the tabs 32 Many modifications and variations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing detailed disclosure. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a tub and a hanger for connecting said tub to a wall, said hanger comprising:

(a) a first member adapted to be fastened to a wall,

(b) said first member including structure coactable with said tub to hold it securely in position,

(c) a second member engageable between said tub and the surface of a wall when said tub is mounted on said first member,

(d) said second member having bearing surfaces engaged with the back of said tub to prevent rocking movement thereof and wall engaging surfaces formed to provide firm support for said second member,

(c) said second member having at least one hook portion engaged under a botom portion of said tub so as to contribute to its support and to prevent said tub from being swung away from said hanger, and,

(f) means for connecting said second member to said tub before it is positioned on said first member.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

(g) said tub coactable structure of said first member comprises a projecting tab, and

(h) means fastening an upper portion of said tub to said tab.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

(g) said second member comprises an assembly including:

(i) a pair of side panels, (ii) a bottom panel, and, (iii) means connecting said panels together.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

(g) said second member includes side portions,

(h) at least one of said side portions having an opening so that service connections can be assembled to said second member before said tub and said second member are mounted on said first member.

5. In combination, a tub and a hanger for suspending said tub from a wall, said hanger comprising:

(a) a wall plate adapted to be secured to a wall,

(b) said wall plate including:

(i) a front surface, (ii) a forwardly bent flange along the upper edge of said plate adapted to form a V with the surface of the wall on which said plate is mounted,

(iii) and a tab located between the ends of said plate and projecting from said front surface in position to receive a tub fastener when a portion of said tub is engaged in said V,

(c) a support bracket including:

(i) side panels,

(ii) a bottom panel,

(iii) means fastening said panels together,

(iv) said panels having first surface portions engageable with said tub near the perimeter of its back wall to provide a firm tub support,

(v) said panels having second surface portions engageable with the surface of the wall on which said plate is mounted, and,

(vi) forwardly projecting hooks engageable under a portion of said tub to contribute to its support and to prevent said tub from being swung away from said bracket,

(d) and means fastening said bracket to said tub so that said tub and bracket can be connected together before being mounted on said wall plate.

6. The combination as claimed in claim wherein:

(e) at least one of said side panels includes openings for permitting connection of the hoses of a water distribution system to the hoses of a washer.

7. In combination, a plurality of tubs and a hanger assembly for mounting said tubs on a wall, said hanger assembly comprising:

(a) a plurality of wall plates aligned in spaced endto-end relationship.

(b) each of said wall plates including structure coactable with a tub for suspending the tub from a wall and holding the tub in position,

(0) a bridge plate between the ends of adjacent wall plates, t

((1) means securing said plates together,

(e) a support bracket for each tub,

(f) each of said support brackets including:

(i) first surface portions engageable with the back of a tub near its perimeter to provide a firm tub support,

(ii) second surface portions bearing against the surface of the wall on which said wall plates are mounted, and,

(iii) hook portions engaged under a portion of a tub to contribute to its support,

(g) and means fastening each bracket to a tub so that said tubs and brackets can be connected together before being mounted on said wall plates.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 7 wherein:

(11) said bracket-to-tub fastening means includes fastener elements engaged through portions of each adjacent pair of tubs so that said adjacent tubs are connected together.

9. The combination as claimed in claim 7 wherein:

(h) each bridge plate includes a central portion disposed between and lying in the plane of adjacent wall plates, and end portions overyling the ends of the adjacent wall plates,

(i) and said means securing said plates together includes headed elements having their heads disposed in recesses formed in the wall-engaging surfaces of said wall plates.

10. A hanger for supporting a tub on a wall comprising in combination:

(a) means adapted to be fastened to a wall,

(b) said means having a portion which is co-operable with the wall to which said means is secured to define a notch for receiving a flange of the tub to be supported,

(0) said means having another portion defining a tab to which an upper portion of the tub can be fastened, and

(d) structure engageable between the tub and the surface of the wall to provide firm support and prevent rocking movement of the tub,

(e) said structure having at least one hook portion engageable under a bottom portion of the tub to be supported so as to contribute to its support and to prevent the tub from being swung away from the hanger.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,446,036 2/1923 Dodd 248-311 X 1,600,852 9/1926 Shaffer 4-170 2,546,359 3/1951 Emrick 248-234 HAROLD I. GROSS, Primary Examiner. 

